PAK: Telenor to use solar powered sites

Telenor Pakistan is to use solar power to extend its services to rural customers through Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) solutions.

The network has signed a contract with NSN to build off-grid sites using solar energy. Telenor Pakistan claims to be the first mobile operator in Pakistan to have a site dependent on solar technology, which was established in January 2008.

Under the contract, NSN will provide its off-grid site solutions that use solar energy to power base station sites in rural and remote areas. NSN will design the sites, taking into account local solar mapping, site landscape and other factors to maximise the use of solar energy while optimising operating costs.

Telenor Pakistan chief technology officer Khalid Shahzad said: “Expanding into rural areas is a challenge, as there is no access to the electricity grid to supply power to base stations. Traditional alternatives, such as diesel generators are neither environmentally-friendly nor cost-efficient. Nokia Siemens Networks not only offers a clean substitute, but will also reduce the cost of running these sites – allowing us to offer affordable communications to users in rural Pakistan.”